North Carolina basketball: 5 most underrated Tar Heels in program history

3. Underrated North Carolina basketball players: Eric Montross, C (1990-94) and George Lynch, (1989-93)

When you look up in the rafters in the Dean E. Smith Center and count the championships for North Carolina basketball, you can pick out what you remember from each title win if you’re a fan — at least in the last 40 years. In 1982, you remember Jordan’s shot against Georgetown. In 2005, you remember May’s Final Four dominance. In 2009, you remember Hansbrough getting it done, finally. And in 2017, you remember Joel Berry and Co. getting redemption.

But when you think about the 1993 National Championship, the most lasting memory for most people is Michigan’s Chris Webber calling at timeout that the Wolverines didn’t have and, thus, giving the Tar Heels the last nudge to pick up the title that they needed in the final moments of the game.

That’s a shame, however, for players like Eric Montross and George Lynch, the leaders of that championship team. Yes, fans in Chapel Hill remember them quite fondly and well but would many fans on a national level be able to tell you about them right out of the gate when thinking about that 1992-93 team? My guess is probably not.

That’s a shame for a pair of players who both averaged over 14 points per game in that title-winning season, for someone like Lynch who leads the Tar Heels in career steals and for someone like Montross who was a dominant big man for the length of his stay with the program. Simply put, Montross, Lynch and the ’93 title team deserve more respect than they often get.